Safe Word

by N. von Wolf

She enters Obsidian as Scarlett – masked, poised, and desperate to reclaim the parts of herself a cruel man once shattered.

He is Ghost, a dom whose control masks a darker history he’s spent years keeping buried. In the shadows, they find something hunger without shame, pain without punishment.

But behind the velvet and steel, real lives begin to stir. By day, they’re strangers. At night, they come undone. Neither knows who the other truly is – until the past clawing at their heels threatens to strip them bare.

When the masks fall, what’s left might be too broken to survive it.

Safe Word is a dark contemporary romance about trauma, obsession, and the fine line between control and surrender. Behind the mask, a haunted author meets a woman on the run – where consent is ritual, desire is dangerous, and the past bleeds into pleasure.

Safe Word contains themes that may be triggering – including emotional, psychological and physical abuse, coercion, trauma, murder, and blurred lines of consent. These elements are explored through a dark-romance and psychological-thriller lens, and may be distressing for readers with related triggers.

This book also portrays a character with a severe, delusional form of religious obsession. His beliefs, visions, and actions are depicted as symptoms of psychological disturbance, not expressions of real faith. Readers sensitive to distorted or extreme religious themes should proceed with caution.

But first and foremost – this is a work of fiction.
Please read the full trigger warning list before continuing. Know what you’re walking into.

Genres: Dark Romance, BDSM

493 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2025

About the author

N. von Wolf writes dark, psychological romance set in worlds where myth bleeds into obsession and love walks a razor’s edge. Her stories explore the intimate territories of power, trauma, and fate – whether in vampire courts, ancient battlegrounds, or dystopian futures.

Rooted in the Balkans and shaped by years in Ireland and Scandinavia, she draws on haunted history, folklore, and cultural echoes to craft emotionally charged tales where the past never sleeps and the heart is never safe. Her favourite playgrounds are epic fantasy, historical and paranormal fiction – but she loves to dip her toes into sci-fi waters, as well.

By night, she writes of forbidden desires and fractured worlds; by day, she thrives as a Technical Engineering Team Lead, a wife, and a mother of two.

You can see what she's currently brewing on her website, or follow her on Social Media:

Reviews

[Megs · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC read for an honest review;

CHECK THE MENU- I MEAN TRIGGER WARNINGS!!!!

HOLY DELICIOUS!!!! Safe Word is a twisted dark romance that toes the line of desire and destruction. It was hot, raw, possessive and truly delicious.

Paula and Cain are two sides of the same coin. Both have major trauma and abuse they are working through and end up working through it together.

Honestly I could hardly put the book down, I CANNOT wait till the next book is out because I desperately need it!!!

[Erin Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY... WOW!!!! My jaw is still hanging out on the floor! This Dark Psychological thriller romance was AMAZING! I'd give this more than 5 stars! Honestly, this one gets the award for best one of the year from me in this genre. It's deep, raw, mentally and emotionally wrecking, full of twists, trauma, and spice. This gets dark. It's not a light and fluffy read. It's meant to break you, wreck you, and when you think the pieces are getting put back together your feet get kicked out from under you!

At one point I gasped so loud I choked on air (literally... Choked on air...) The author is so detailed and so descriptive every emotion bled from every page. I felt it all. This is such a powerful journey of broken people trying to put themselves back together again. Let's not forget the twists! I didn't see so many things coming 🤯😳 this wrecked me and ruined me in the best way possible. Trust me when I say this is THRILLING! Excuse me while I go pick my jaw up off the floor or try to find it from wherever it traveled to. This was mind blowing. 🤯 I can't wait for the second one!!!!!

Thank you Soo much for ARC! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tropes to love
✔️Bdsm romance
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Touch her and die
✔️Mentor/protector
✔️Work place romance
✔️Power play
✔️Revenge/ justice
✔️Masked identity
✔️Happy for now
✔️Trauma recovery

[♥︎Obsidian°Scorpio°Reads♥︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

N. Von. Went Dark with this.

My heart is still aching with all those triggers that were beautifully done in this the psychological aspect of this will make you question what you really know about the FMC. Paula and Cain will have you drooling and clenching those pearls, at times wanting to throw your kindle and yell at them both. I can't see what's next in store as I still need some questions answered

please read the Trigger as this is not for Everyone

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🧎‍♀️🚩🧎‍♀️🚩🧎‍♀️🚩

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc read for honest review.

This book will keep you up so that you can finish it and begging for more just like Cain would want you to! I wish I could give this 6 stars 🌟

[Randi Zodrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ rating 3-4 🌶️🌶️ highly recommended.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading it. The story follows Paula (fmc) and Caine (mmc) story it is intense and then the character Shadow comes in and the intensity builds throughout the whole story. The twist and turns kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. And the ending I did not expect I screamed. I need the second book now.

[Annette Batista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paula and Cain a dark passion

I truly enjoy this book dark side it had the right amount of action and danger. You get to see the dark side of two people looking for the same thing. And in the processes, they fall in love. Without giving too much away, you will enjoy this one. I'm looking forward to book two.

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick take:
Not a love story, but a brilliantly twisted psychological thriller about how sometimes you must first break apart before you can heal. Dark, mind‑bending, and unforgettable.

I was warned about the triggers in this book — so please, read them carefully! And if you even slightly doubt whether you can handle it, you probably can’t.

This is a brilliantly twisted psychological thriller where the author skillfully leads the reader deep into the human mind. The plot flows smoothly, making you question your own memory, curse the events, and nearly throw your Kindle against the wall.

I love thrillers that explore the darker corners of the human psyche, and even more when the author does it with such clear talent. This book is without a doubt one of the best I have ever read.

And let me be clear: this is not a love story. It is a story about how sometimes you must first break apart completely before you can begin to heal.

If you want to push your own boundaries, have checked the trigger warnings (they are there for a reason!), and are ready to peek into the black side of the human mind — this book is absolutely a must‑read.

ARC gratitude note:
A million thanks for letting me be part of the ARC. I feel so grateful, and I’m already eagerly waiting for the sequel!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!! I couldn't put it down for most of the story! Another fantastic book from N. von Wolf!
The tension and spark between Cain and Paula really jump off the page. Their relationship was rocky and a bit of a slow burn but it also felt so natural. I loved how their past traumas made their personalities restrained, controlled, yet magnetic. I loved the bdsm themes and content. 😍
The first chapter from "you know who" really made me shiver! I was second guessing myself almost the whole story as to who it was, and can't wait to see what happens with him in book 2.
No cliffhanger, though there is a big reveal that makes me want the next installment of this story!
Check for trigger warnings please, this book is chock full of them.

"And in that moment, she wasn’t just mine. She was everything. Every inhale, every shiver, every ounce of strength and surrender."

"Get it together, Cain. You’re a sadist, not a fucking teenager."

"He carried pain like armour – staring it down like it was an old friend. Or maybe… Maybe he just enjoyed it. Why did I want to be the one who made it go away?"

[Desiree Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely DEVOURED this book! I loved it ! The plot was plotting, the smut was smutting and the twists !! 10/10 recommend! And what is that ending ?! 😩😅👏🏻

[Marina I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

MIND YOU, this has a severe religious undertone.

This isn't t’s a legit psychological thriller. I kept getting that tight feeling in my chest because I never knew what was coming next. Paula’s fear and confusion felt real, and Cain is one of the most intense characters I’ve ever read. Terrifying, addictive, completely unpredictable.

This one of those books where the author knew exactly where she wanted to take the story and committed to it completely. It’s dark, messy, obsessive, and psychologically loaded which makes it hard to put down. It really does lean into trauma, control, hunger, fear, and the intimacy that can grow in the middle of all that.
Obsidian is such a strong setting because it feels like more than just a club, it becomes this private ritual space where both Paula and Cain are allowed to split open in ways they can’t anywhere else. The rules, the masks, the contracts, the danger, the performance of control gives the er0tic scenes real tension instead of making them feel interchangeable.

Paula is a really strong lead because even when she’s frightened, spiraling, or pulled under by obsession, she never feels flat or passive. She’s intelligent, self-aware, damaged, and still trying to claw back some kind of agency. Cain works because the book doesn’t try to clean him up too much. He’s magnetic, yes, but he’s also volatile, selfish, obsessive, and frequently one bad choice away from becoming exactly what he hates. That makes him far more interesting than a polished fantasy hero.

I also liked that the book doesn’t stay trapped in its own erotic setup. The thriller thread matters. Travis matters. The surveillance, the fear, the family tension, the professional crossover between Paula and Cain. all of that keeps the story moving and gives the obsession real stakes outside the bedroom and outside Obsidian. It means the danger never feels decorative.

More than anything, the book works because it understands its own tone. It knows these characters don’t fall gently into love, exactly as the note at the beginning promises. That consistency gives the whole novel bite. By the end, it feels less like you watched two people heal neatly and more like you watched them build something fierce and morally messy out of all the damage they were carrying.

What shocked me most was how well the author balanced everything. N. von Wolf doesn’t treat trauma like a plot device, she writes it in a way that feels raw and human. I had to keep stopping, to breathe, then I’d dive right back in.

I finished the whole thing in two days and just sat there afterwards like, What did I just experience?

If you want a dark romance with real psychological depth and an author who actually knows how to deliver it, read this. Absolutely worth every second.

[Charity Bushman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought i had this book completely figured out until I got to the epilogue... and OMG that took a turn. If you like dark romance, Dom/ sub relationships, twist and turns with a feel of mafia without it being mafia.... read this book.

[Happei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy. Dual POV.

Brace yourself for a dark rollercoaster ride. Keeps you guessing all the way to the end. You think you know what is going on, but really you have no clue.